A Storm Approaches
The following is a transcription of events leading up to Starday the 6th of Gozran. It's near midnight when the figure staggers up the road towards the east gate of Grey . The disinterested guard looks up from picking his nails, snorts at the drunkard and continues his grooming. A moment later the sound of a pike hitting cobblestone rings out across the night. The guard stands slack jawed, peering at the collapsed figure at his feet. The figure was presumably once a man, his flesh now so torn and cut it makes it difficult to tell. Amidst the cuts strange runic tattoos can be seen covering his entire body from head to toe, wicked and barbed looking things. Milky white eyes stare back at the guard as the figure frantically repeats himself in a panic - "He-He is coming! He is coming! He is coming..." An hour later in a hidden chamber deep beneath the City of Grey the collective Grey Lords stand together in a single chamber. A very rare occurrence and one that scares them all. On a large stone stage looking down from above are the true leaders of Grey. A tall thing figure with elongated features and deathly pale skin. He wears a very fancy and expensive looking purple velvet suit trimmed with gold and precious gems. His piercing white eyes are offset by his large black mouth, dripping with black juices and filled with horrendous rotting black teeth. Exodius - Lord of Blasphemy . A strange humanoid figure whose appearance might be similar to that of a doppelganger who cannot make up their mind. A constant blur of changing faces and shapes, not complete guises but more a patchwork effect of many eyes, ears, hands and the like. The effect is more than a little disconcerting to behold. Jessess - Lady of Deceit . A strange and twisted looking humanoid wrapped in chains, it's flesh pierced with many hooks, nails and scraps of sharp metal. It pokes it's long pink tongue out at the crowd below, it too pierced a hundred times with rings, pins and hooks. It's jet black eyes reflect the uncomfortable faces of the Grey Lords below. Chsst - Lord of Despise . "What do you see?" spits Exodius to the Wizard standing at the front of the Grey Lords. "An army my Lord. I see Daemons, Undead, Men, Beasts and all manner of Evil." "HoW MmmANeee?" chatters Jessess. There is a pause before the Wizard replies "Like the Stars my... my.... m-m-m" The Wizard begins to laugh manically, his mouth stretching wide open and his eyes bulge from his head. There is an audible SNAP as his jaw breaks itself, allowing his mouth to open wider, his left eye fires from it's socket. The maniacal laughter comes to an abrupt halt as the Wizard's head violently explodes, showering the nearer Grey Lords in skull and piece of brain. "Then we shall fight Evil with Evil" hisses Chsst. A new laugh now, much deeper and far more terrifying than before fills the chamber. The Grey Lords on the floor below whether mortal, undead or somewhere in between cower in fear. "WE HAD A DEAL!" a voice booms throughout the chamber. "H-He hE C-c-Coooomes!" stammers Jessess. "WHO?" asks Chsst. "Grazzt" whispers Exodius as a fountain of black bile pours from his mouth, over the edge of the stage and onto the corpse of the Wizard below. By now the common folk have heard of the army approaching from the East. Panic has gripped the city. Those caught in the tent city slums outside the City walls found the gate closed and barred. Most have packed up their belongings and fled north or south along the coast (Mostly north as the south of Grey is swamp). The common folk in town have nowhere to turn to and like animals caught in a trap they've panicked and turned violent. Most of our heroes are blissfully unaware of what is happening while they work on rebuilding Wychgarde. The recently constructed Grey Lord outpost far to the east, past the Wychwood has been destroyed. There are no living survivors. Rioting and Looting in the City of Grey. The Grey Lords have fled or gone underground. Those who remain to fight for the City are holed up in the Keep. In just a few more days an army will throw itself against the walls of Grey. Many will die. Can the Heroes of Grey make a difference? Who will pay the ultimate price? Category:Quests